STELLA, WI (WSAU-WXPR) – Residents in the Oneida County Town of Stella got an update this week on PFAS contamination in their well water.
The PFAS levels being found in drinking water in Stella are among the highest in the country.
PFAS was first found in private wells in the Stella last year.
Since then, more than 110 wells have been tested. 49 wells have PFAS levels above the Wisconsin Department of Health Services standard of 20 parts per trillion.
Steve Elmore is the DNR’s Program Director for the Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater. “We’ve seen several in the 1000s of parts per trillion for those. And we have some that go as high as 35,000 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS. So. So quite high levels here. These levels are significant. It’s some of the highest levels in the country that we’ve seen, and certainly, the highest we’ve seen in groundwater and drinking water in Wisconsin.”
The DNR is still working to confirm the source of the contamination.
With levels that high, the DNR says water treatment won’t work. The best option for majority of the homeowners is to build new wells deeper into the granite layer. “We hope that with a combination of drilling wells into the granite and possibly that additional treatment, we can reduce the PFAS levels below the Department of Health Service recommended levels.”
Some of the lakes and rivers in the Stella area have also been testing positive for elevated levels of PFAS. Snowden Lake in particular is an area of concern.
Comments